Who would you take with the first pick of Saturday’s NFL draft? Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers or Utah QB Alex Smith?

ESPN analyst Merrill Hoge says, anyone but Rodgers.

Hoge would be hesitant to ever take a quarterback in the first round – but he definitely wouldn’t take Rodgers.

“I had to call NFL Films to make sure that they sent me the right tape,” Hoge said of Rodgers, who has been battling Smith all winter to be the 49ers’ pick.

“I thought he was so inaccurate. I thought he folded under pressure. There are so many things that he does that don’t transition to the National Football League.

“All I keep hearing about is how, ‘He went 21 straight completions against USC [and Matt Leinart.] He was the best quarterback on the field.’ What those people don’t realize is that he didn’t throw the ball beyond 10 yards. In the NFL, you can’t play like that. You can’t complete 21 balls without throwing a 20-yard in-route or a 15-yard comeback and a go-route. You have to put that ball in there in a small window of opportunity. I just did not see that with Aaron. I don’t even think he is a first-rounder.

“Obviously, there is a shortage of quarterbacks this year and teams are somewhat desperate. I didn’t view him as a top pick. I did talk to a lot of people in the Pac-10 and they do believe he played better in his junior year than his senior year. You just look at things that have to be constant, like footwork. I thought his footwork was very skittish at best. He is very mechanical. He is not athletic in his movement. When he has a wide receiver with a defender in the trail position, he seldom gives a wide receiver a chance to run with the ball.”

Besides that, Hoge thinks Rodgers is just great.

Hoge likes Smith’s potential better. He said his footwork and accuracy are NFL quality, but he played almost exclusively in the shotgun at Utah.

“He does lack consistency throwing the ball down the field,” Hoge said.

If Hoge were in charge of the 49ers, he would probably take Auburn running back Ronnie Brown with the first pick and then choose a quarterback in the second round.

“Andrew Walter [of Arizona State] is the best quarterback in the Pac-10 coming out,” said Hoge, taking his final swipe at Cal’s Rodgers.